Michael Jackson’s untimely death had an unpredictable influence in our house.
Ainsley is now the late Michael Jackson’s biggest fan.
When his death became news wallpaper on the television, internet and radio she heard a lot more of his music and saw his smooth dance moves. Now she can’t get enough.
We’ve been careful to filter what kinds of information she gets about Michael Jackson, for instance, she’s unaware of the child molestation charges. We didn’t allow her to watch Barbara Walters’ interview with Michael’s sister LaToya, though I am sorry I missed it.
This fascination with who she calls, the best pop star in the whole world, has led to some great conversations about plastic surgery.
(Image from Gonzo)
Obviously there is a major difference between what Michael looked like as a young boy on the Thriller album and what he looked like as a 50 year old man.
Ainsley, as well as anyone else, can tell that Michael was a beautiful boy before he had plastic surgery on his nose.
It’s let to quite a number of open discussions about the impact of other people’s words about our looks, how God knows more about what is beautiful than plastic surgeons do, how self-acceptance is better than surgery, whether looks are really important or not, whether someone is great because of their singing and dancing talent or if they are black or white or big nosed or small.
It’s also led to a few awkward discussions about why Michael was looking more like a woman and less like a man as he aged and had surgeries. There’s an inexplicability about Michael Jackson that parents can’t really gloss over. He was undeniably eccentric, weird, mysterious.
Lucky for me, he was a very talented singer and a gifted dancer, because Ainsley is playing the CD over and over. She has asked for a concert on DVD for her birthday, so she can learn his dance moves. She’s also asked for a Michael Jackson birthday cake, which we’ve spent hours designing (thanks Cake Boss).
If you love him so much, why don’t you be Michael Jackson for Halloween? I asked.
I don’t want people to think I’m a boy, she said.
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8 comments ↓
[...] Ainsley fell in love with Michael Jackson – his dance moves, his music, his celebrity and fame – when she was mass-exposed to his art on television, print and radio media when he passed away. Please see Michael Jackson & Plastic Surgery. [...]
This is complete nonsense. Michael is a perfect role model in every sense of the word. You used the worst picture of him possible, if you really knew him you would know how beautiful he was every year of his life. And you would also know what a loving wonderful human being he was. He gave to more charities than any other celebrity, and made many songs about healing the world. Why should a few plastic surgeries matter? That seems quite shallow. Especially since he only had 8 plastic surgeries in his life, four of them because he had to. Do some real research on a person before you write ignorant stuff about them.
God bless & much love.
i still love u
i still love you
why
Amber do you have children? Because if you do, I don’t understand how you could make that comment. As an educator I know that it’s difficult to introduce more complex social concepts to children. They don’t understand all of the different facets that go into a situation because they don’t understand the big picture in the world. They haven’t experienced it. If this mother had explained everything about Michael Jackson then this little girls new love for a wonderful performer would have been clouded by confusion about everything that he was about. She wouldn’t have remembered the charities that he donated to and all of the good he did, she would have remembered the “bad stuff” because she wouldn’t have understood that stuff. She would have understood that he helped people, even very young children understand the concept of helping others, but because she wouldn’t understand the “bad stuff” that’s what her mind would have been fixated on. Not the good. And as for the plastic surgery, how else is she supposed to explain that kind of thing to her child? She tells her she is beautiful and God made her perfectly, but the new artist that she now idolizes changed the way he looked for some mystery reason.
I’m a huge Michael Jackson fan and I understand the different things that happened in his life and I think it doesn’t take away from how incredible of an artist he was.
I do however think that it is rude to tell a mother that sheltering her child, at this time, from things that she won’t fully understand as being “ignorant” is uncalled for. This woman has more concern for the growth and psychological development of her child then whether or not her child understands the whole picture of why Michael Jackson changed his appearance.
I couldn’t have said it better myself Jessica. Thanks.
Sadly Michael didn’t see himself as beautiful. I don’t think he looked that much different except he went white and had botox and surgeries to stop wrinkles but everyone does that. It is normal.
I don’t think the nose thing was normal though but I understand it is to do with his father teasing him that made him do it. Also it is impossible to tell how much surgery he or anyone has had by looking at photo’s of him/them because lighting, camera angles, make up is always changing. Photo’s can be manipulated and airbrushed as well.
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